After coffee and breakfast the team once again headed out at 6am for our morning game drive. The air was more brisk than the previous morning and most of us were huddled under blankets in the truck. We got to see many of the same animals, this time making sure we got selfies with our favorites.
A crocodile lounging in the sun.
The sound of the drums, led by our very own rock star, Eric, at 11am called us all to lunch. Today we had salad, tilapia, quiche, fruit and bread. After the meal, we had about 3 1/2 hours to relax before our last evening game drive. Some of us read, napped, chatted, or did a combination of the three. We again set out at 4pm in the land rovers to South Luangwa National Park. We traveled much further on this drive than any of the others so we could reach the top of a large hill before sundown. Right before we were about to settle on the hill and have our coffee break, our driver had a special surprise for us and took us behind the hill right past an extravagant house that we were told was welcome to the president of any country. That was not the surprise, however. When we turned the corner we saw another pride of female lions resting after their most recent hunt – a water buffalo. There were 7 lionesses around us, none taking notice to the trucks full of people in their midst. We saw that one was injured on her right hind leg but she made her way over to the buffalo and started feeding. We all experienced a confusing mix of fear and amazement. This was definitely the shining moment of our 16 hours of safari.
Inside the lounge at Thornicroft.
A female lion lying next to the water buffalo it had just hunted.
A wounded lion walking toward her kill to get a nourishing meal.
After spending some time watching the lions, we headed up the hill to our intended break spot to watch the sunset. The view was truly amazing and the sky was the most beautiful blend of reds and blues. We took this time to take group pictures and visit with one another. Then we made the long drive back to camp for dinner. Tonight we were served stuffed tomato, meatball spaghetti, and a delicious creamy dessert that no one could quite understand the name of.
Tomorrow we make the drive back to Lilongwe in Madisi where we will spend our last night here in Africa.
Love and Blessings,
Manja a Machiritso